Biography

Dick Patten

July 2004

Dick Patten is the Executive Director of the American Family
Business Institute, a nation-wide organization of family business
owners devoted to the permanent repeal of the Federal Estate Tax
(also known as the Death Tax). Under his leadership
the AFBI has gained a dominant role in the Death Tax repeal battle.
The AFBI has offices in Washington D.C., Birmingham AL, and Seattle
WA.

According to Patten, The Death Tax is a survival issue
for family businesses. It puts family businesses at a competitive
disadvantage with their publicly-traded competitors often forcing
families to sell off their businesses and farms to pay for Estate
Taxes.

Dick Pattens history in fighting the Death Tax began
in 1981 when he filed an initiative to the voters of the State
of Washington (Initiative 402) to repeal the Washington State
Inheritance and Gift Taxes. The organization he founded collected
approximately 200,000 signatures and was approved by 72% of Washington
State voters.

He has been involved in Federal Estate Tax repeal efforts since
1997.

Dick comes from a multi-generation family business background.
He helped his father grow their family business. They began with
7 employees and grew to become an Inc.500 company. They eventually
became Eastman Kodaks largest reprographics customer on
the West Coast and the 3rd largest business of its type in the
nation.

Dick also founded and grew a Seattle-based temporary employment
and executive search firm that became Puget Sounds largest
temporary employment contractor. They eventually employed 19,242
Seattle-area workers. Dick and his wife Monica successfully sold
their business in 2002.

Dick is a founder of the Childrens Hospital Golf Marathon,
an annual event that has raised over $700,000 for unfunded medical
care for children in Seattle. He is also a member of the Endowment
Funding Committee for Seattle Pacific University. He has been
an active member of the Rotary Club of Seattle for 14 years.